Chelsea eased past a lacklustre Galatasaray at Stamford Bridge to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. With the tie delicately poised at 1-1 following an enthralling first leg in Istanbul, the stage was set for Blues legend Didier Drogba to knock his old side out the competition. But Drogba, like so many of his team-mates, was a virtual spectator as Chelsea cruised home with plenty to spare thanks to first-half goals from Samuel Eto'o and Gary Cahill. Drogba, who netted the winning penalty in the 2012 Munich show-piece with what was his last kick for the club, had his name sung throughout by a vociferous home support - but the Chelsea faithful would have been surprised with the considerable ease with which their team progressed. José Mourinho made just two changes to the side that drew in Istanbul as Eto'o came in for Fernando Torres and Frank Lampard replaced Andre Schurrle. On that evening three weeks ago the Blues made a lightning start, and they repeated the feat here to effectively settle the tie before half-time. Whilst Petr Cech went through the whole 90 minutes without conceding on what his 100th Champions League appearance, his opposite number Fernando Muslera was responsible for maintaining a respectable scoreline. Without the Uruguayan's efforts, it could have been incredibly ugly for Roberto Mancini's side. The Blues never looked back after securing an early lead through Samuel Eto'o in just the fourth minute. Played in by Oscar, the experienced Cameroon international took one touch before smashing the ball past Muslera. And Gary Cahill made sure of progression when he converted from close range after Muslera had made an excellent save to deny John Terry's header on the verge of half-time. The result maintains the Blues' impressive eight-game unbeaten run at home in the knock-out rounds of European competition, and puts the West London side amongst the prestigious company of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain and Atletico de Madrid in the last eight, where they will be joined presumably by Olympiacos and Borussia Dortmund - unless Manchester United and Zenit St-Petersburg pull off incredible come-backs respectively. The ease with which Chelsea cruised into the last eight will be equally as satisfying to Mourinho as getting one over his old adversary Mancini - the Blues face Arsenal in a Saturday lunch-time kick-off in what could be a title-deciding fixture. Mourinho and Chelsea will enter that particular fixture in buoyant mood and with no fresh injury concerns. Given how poor their Turkish opposition were tonight, the Blues barely had to shift out of second gear. They will therefore face the Gunners this weekend with plenty remaining in the tank. After Saturday's shock defeat to Aston Villa, Mourinho will have demanded a response, and any nerves were settled prematurely with Eto'o's clinical opener. Cahill, who lashed home on the stroke of half-time after Muslera had made a strong save to repel Terry's initial header, looked to have settled the tie as he gave Chelsea a 3-1 aggregate lead heading into the break. The lead would have been extended but for a combination of the Blues most definitely playing within themselves and the excellence of Muslera. The Uruguay keeper made a number of fine saves, most impressively from Eden Hazard's goalbound effort that seemed destined for the far corner. Muslera also made good saves from an Oscar free-kick, a Lampard header and a late chance for Torres who entered the fray as a substitute. At the other end, a poor finish denied Drogba the goal the occasion warranted as the former Blues' talisman was let down by a weak finish as the game entered stoppage time. On the day billed as Drogba's fabled return to Stamford Bridge, it should perhaps come as no surprise that another of Africa's greatest ever footballing exports should shine - Samuel Eto'o was at his imperious best as he notched his tenth strike of the season. Impressive also was Lampard, who, with England manager Roy Hodgson in the stands, may well have played his way into the World Cup squad with his most commanding and composed display in months. There was almost a subdued air around Stamford Bridge for much of the first half, almost as if the Chelsea supporters were bemused by how poor their opposition was. The only reason Galatasaray came to London with even a sniff of a chance was down to lacklustre finishing in the reverse lack three weeks prior, which allowed the Turkish side back into the game. Their abject showing will hardly rank amongst the most fierce of challenges Chelsea will face this season, and the Blues will certainly be required to up the ante against the more miserly opposition the competition now boasts. Nevertheless, Chelsea are through, and they've progressed without hardly breaking a sweat. Click here to view the article
